Climate change, clean energy and natural gas

August 11, 2009 by Dan Gibson · 2 Comments, leave one of your own
Filed under: Natural Gas

Sen. Harry Reid opened his remarks at the Clean Energy Summit by saying, “I’ve been converted. I now belong to the Pickens church.” The news today out of the Clean Energy Summit is that the conversation has been all about natural gas and efficiency.

Those two go hand-in-hand as natural gas is extremely efficient. 70 percent of the total amount of fuels used in producing, generating and transmitting electricity is lost by the time that electricity reaches a customer. By contrast, producing and delivering natural gas directly loses only about 10 percent of its usable energy.

Senator Reid isn’t the only one that’s starting to see the positive potential of natural gas.

Dave Hamilton, the Sierra Club’s director of global warming and energy programs, said he is not concerned that interest in natural gas will stall renewable energy or energy efficiency efforts because “I think the futures are intertwined.”

Al Gore specifically called out natural gas shale as an important potential resource and endorsed Pickens’ plan for natural gas-powered trucks.

John Podesta, the CEO of the Center for American Progress Action Funda, and former Sen. Timothy Wirth published an article as the summit opened on the Center For American Progress Action Fund’s web site. The article, “Natural Gas: A Bridge Fuel for the 21st Century,” offers concrete suggestions for how we can use natural gas as a bridge fuel to a 21st-century energy economy. The suggestions include more incentives and credits for replacing coal and gasoline with natural gas technologies.

Last month to the Colorado Oil and Gas Association, Wirth told the natural gas industry it “has more to gain, and a greater contribution to make, than any other industry in America or, for that matter, in the world.”

Be sure to read the report released by the National Academy of Sciences advocating the use of the full-fuel-cycle as the measurement standard of choice. You can also visit AGA’s energy efficiency page for more information on the efficiency and benefits of natural gas.

It sounds like people are starting to get our message. Are you convinced yet?

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Comments

2 Comments on Climate change, clean energy and natural gas

Efficient Home Energy on Thu, 13th Aug 2009 11:30 pm

I’m really excited about the clean energy of the future! Great article!

Kristina on Fri, 14th Aug 2009 12:01 pm

Pickens has it right. The biggest bang for your GHG reduction buck is the transportation industry, as it creates the majority of the CO2 emissions plaguing the planet. With this catch 22 infrastructure vs. alternative fuel engine technology it’s always a question of who will take the leap first. I like the look of the contributions made by companies like Clean Energy Fuels which builds the fuelling infrastructure and Westport Innovations which supplies the LNG engine technology to truck manufacturers. The third leg on that tripod is the government subsidies that will make the transition from diesel to natural gas easier for truck owners and operators in these challenging economic times. I would love to hear your thoughts on infrastructure and technology.